Ash's New Start
by DeadlyMongoose
Summary: After losing to Lt. Surge at Vermillion for the first time, Ash falls into a depression, only for Pikachu to try and shock him out of it... resulting in an outcome that no one expected. I update for reviews ;
1. Chapter One

**Ash's New Start**

**Chapter One**

**Announcement: **_I would just like to say that for one, I do not own Pokemon, and for two, I am making it so that in this story, Brock stayed with his siblings at the gym because his father couldn't do it alone, and Misty's bike was repaired by a shop in Viridian, and paid for by Ash, and so she never followed Ash around either. Also, I am not going to limit Kanto to just that region's Pokemon._

* * *

><p>Ash Ketchum had just failed in his attempt to win the Thunder Badge from Lt. Surge of the Vermillion City gym. He needed to find a way to raise the strength of all of his Pokemon so he could defeat the leader the next time he battled him. The only problem was that he had no idea where to even begin in training his Pokemon, he hadn't paid attention to any of Professor Oak's lectures while growing up under his tutelage. Where was he supposed to begin?<p>

He hadn't actually won many battles before. There was the occasional trainer that challenged him while he was traveling, but besides that, there was only the Pewter Gym leader, Brock. He probably would have gained some experience from the Cerulean Gym, but those leaders just gave him a badge and sent him on his way… he felt horrible for not trying to earn that badge the hard way.

"GAH!", he screamed in frustration. He couldn't help but wonder if he would have had more luck on his journey if he had caught a few more Pokemon along the way, it wasn't like he never had the chance. There was the time when he caught Weedle in Viridian Forest and ended up losing it soon afterward.

*FLASHBACK*

_Ash had been in Viridian Forest for all of twenty minutes when he happened across a dark yellow insect with a horn atop its head. His first catch! He reached into his pocket and pulled out the Pokedex he had received from Professor Oak before leaving on his journey, and pointed it at the bug._

"_**Weedle**__, the Hairy Bug Pokemon, Weedle are known to inject extremely toxic poison into the bloodstream if they catch you with their horn.", voiced the computer._

"_That… sounds…. AWESOME!", screamed Ash, who would apparently adore anything that can kill within seconds. Ash also happened to not have experience at catching Pokemon yet, so instead of battling Weedle first, he instead only threw the Pokeball at it. _

"_POKEBALL, GO!", yelled a grinning Ash, as he saw the Pokeball hit the Weedle directly. The Pokemon was swallowed in a bright red light, before being captured inside the ball. It wiggled only twice, before coming to a halt. Ash stared at the ball with wide eyes._

"_WOOHOO! I DID IT! I CAUGHT WEEDLE! I CAUGHT MY FIRST POKEMON!", hollered a joyful (and almost tearful) Ash._

_Pokemon do tend to try and either run away from loud noises, or come and see what all the commotion was about. An old Fearow happened to be flying by at that moment, and seeing the loud disturbance the young boy was causing, decided to see why the boy was celebrating._

"_YAY! I AM THE BEST! LOOK AT THIS WORLD! INSIDE THIS POKEBALL, IS MY FIRST EVER CAUGHT POKEMON! I AM THE BESTTTT!", Ash continued to shout, much to the annoyance of the surrounding Pokemon, including Fearow._

_Fearow decided to take matters into his own hands, and swooped down to the ground, picked up the red and white sphere with his beak, and whipped it over the treetops, across the forest, before taking back off into the air and leaving a crying Ash behind._

*FLASHBACK END*

He hadn't ever found Weedle's Pokeball, and could only hope that the Pokemon was found by a good trainer. Hopefully, the bug Pokemon was found by the insane 'samurai'… named Samurai, that ran around the forest in hopes of battling the trainers that crossed through the trees. THAT would certainly be a memory that would last for the rest of his life.

*FLASHBACK*

"_POKEBALL, GO!", Ash screamed (while still crying about his Weedle), and threw the Pokeball at the Pokemon that was Caterpie._

_Before it could hit the Worm Pokemon, a man appeared in front of the ball and was hit in the face. The Caterpie seemed almost thankful for the diversion, and as quickly as its small legs could carry it, ran deeper into the forest._

"_AGH!", shouted the man (or samurai?) with a now-bloody nose._

"_HEY! Why did you block that Pokeball! I WOULD HAVE CAUGHT THAT CATERPIE!", screamed a now bawling Ash._

"_Well, you see, I knew that someone was over here, and I figured that they would be a trainer! I make it my mission to battle every trainer that passes through here!", claimed the man._

"_That doesn't explain why you blocked my catch!", complained Ash, "And how did you know that someone was here anyway?", he questioned quizzically._

"_Uh… yeah… well, anyway, to answer your second question!," he began to a sweat dropping Ash, "I knew you were hear because I heard the distinct sounds of a boy crying, and the even more distinct sounds of a boy shouting for suicide", he deadpanned. _

_Okay, maybe Ash had been a bit dramatic about the Weedle, but come on! It was his first possible Pokemon! HE WANTED IT! He needed to stop himself from thinking of this traumatic event, before the crying started again._

"_ANYWAY! It's time to battle!", shouted the excited, samurai boy._

"_NO! Why would I battle a jerk like you, Mr. Samurai!", complained Ash before marching off into the forest, heading towards the exit._

"_Hey! You have to battle me!", whined the samurai, "AND HOW DID YOU KNOW MY NAME!", Samurai yelled in question._

_*FLASHBACK END*_

_Ash passed through the rest of the forest without any problems, though he swore he had heard the cries of the Team Rocket members he met in the Viridian City Pokemon Center. Oh, now that was an annoying memory._

_*LAST FLASHBACK (this chapter, at least)*_

_Ash was currently on the video phone with Professor Oak of Pallet Town, informing him of a mysterious, flying, rainbow Pokemon that he had seen soon after the Spearow attack._

"_That's impossible, Ash. Thousands of trainers have journeyed their entire lives and have never seen that Pokemon!", explained an exasperated Oak._

"_I know what I saw, Professor…", mumbled the young boy._

_Professor Oak sighed, he didn't mean to make the boy fall even deeper into a state of self-pity after he had already been depressed about the state of his Pikachu. What could he do to make it up to the boy? Hm…_

"_Ash, I want to give you something.", started the Professor._

"_What do you want to give me! IS IT A POKEMON!", no matter how depressed, Ash was still a very excitable and young trainer._

"_No, Ash. What I want to give you is potentially much more valuable, at least in the context of information", explained Oak._

"_Aw… I don't need stupid and useless facts! I NEED POKEMON!", yelled the boy._

"_ASH KETCHUM! Don't you know just how valuable information can be to a trainer such as yourself? I am offering to give you something that could help you catch any Pokemon, train your Pokemon to their fullest potential, and it will definitely help you on your way to becoming a Pokemon Master!", shouted the old Professor in anger and exasperation._

_Ash's eyes bulged at the Professor's reasoning for accepting the information he wanted to give to him. It did seem like a good deal, and it was about time he started thinking with his brain instead of his gut._

"_Okay, Professor, what is it?", questioned Ash._

"_Just wait, Ash, let me send it over first so you can look at it while I explain", Oak explained, before putting the package in the transporter and hitting 'send'._

_BZZT_

_Ash looked at the receiver transporter and saw a small, red, computerized device, that looked very similar to the Pokedex he already had._

"_Professor, isn't this just another Pokedex?", asked the boy._

"_No, Ash, this is a recently developed Pokedex that is currently in the experimental phase, and I sugg-", but the screen was cut off. A violent explosion rocked the Pokemon Center, before smoke started to fill the building and voices were heard._

_"Prepare for trouble!", a voice from above said._

_"and you better make it double!", another voice shouted._

_"To protect the world from devastation.", the first voice said._

_"To unite all peoples within our nation." , the second voice said._

_"To denounce the evils of truth and love.", the first voice sang._

_"To extend our reach to the stars above.", the second voice added._

_"Jessie", the first voice stated as she revealed herself._

_"James", the second voice stated as he too revealed himself._

_"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light.", Jesse said with a sparkle in her eyes._

_"Surrender now or prepare to fight!", James challenged with a smirk._

_"Meowth, that's right.", Meowth finished for the trio._

_Ash had a bit of trouble trying to keep himself from laughing at the ridiculous motto that the trio had. Yet, he had also heard of Team Rocket before, and he would be damned if he was going to let these three thieves steal his Pikachu! He would fight for them!_

*END FLASHBACK*

He had won in the end, after getting lucky. He had sent out as many Pokemon as he could find that were stored in the Pokemon Center that night. He happened upon a more powerful Pokemon known as an Exeggcutor, and had used the move Psychic to throw Team Rocket out of the place.

Also, now that he thought about it… he had never opened up his new Pokedex, and Professor Oak seemed to have forgotten about it, because he hadn't mentioned it in any of their other video calls. Not even when Ash had gotten himself lost and ended up at the Pokemon Researcher, Bill's, lighthouse. He had called the professor when he arrived there, but he said nothing at all about the Pokedex! Maybe he'd call Oak and ask him more about the device later on in his journey, it couldn't be that important.

* * *

><p>Pikachu was, frankly, becoming very pissed, very fast. His trainer, Ash, had been sitting in the chair next to the electric mouse's hospital bed for an hour now without making any type of noise besides the occasional mumble. Well, he had dealt with Ash before in this manner… so why not again? It's not like his shocks would actually harm Ash, he seemed to be one of the few humans who could easily resist the strong, electric shocks that his body created.<p>

The room was lit up with a shocking light.

* * *

><p>"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!", screamed the 11-year old Ketchum, before falling onto the floor with a groan.<p>

Pikachu couldn't help but snicker at seeing his trainer collapse onto the ground, and that was only a small jolt!

"PIKACHU! What did you do that for!", questioned Ash in a demanding voice.

"Pika!", giggled the mouse.

"I don't care if you were getting annoy-", but Ash was interrupted by an electronic voice coming from his right-hand pocket of the blue and white jacket he was wearing. He reached his hand down into the pocket to pull out what the sound was coming from, and realized quickly that it was coming from the experimental Pokedex that he had received from Professor Oak.

"Thunder Shock, this move was used by the Pikachu owned by Ash Ketchum", the monotone voice of the Pokedex stated.

"What was that?", questioned a confused Ash. He was about to put the Pokedex back into his pocket when it seemed to start responding to his question.

"Thunder Shock, this move was used by the Pikachu owned by Ash Ketchum", repeated the voice.

"What? No, I mean, why did you say that?", queried the boy, who was slowly becoming more and more confused.

"The shock from your Pikachu initiated the automatic-voice response system in my programming, I will now reply to any questions you ask aloud to me, my name is Dev", explained Dev.

"What kind of information can you give to me?", Ash might not have fully understood what was happening, but what he did understand was that he had a whole new way to access information that was previously unavailable to him, and he was definitely going to take advantage of this chance.

"I can provide for you a variety of information, such as the level of your Pokemon, the moves it currently knows, the moves it can learn at certain levels, advice on how to teach your Pokemon a move, advice on which Pokemon to catch, and the locations of any Pokemon currently programmed within me, which happens to be all that have currently been discovered, along with a large amount of other valuable information", explained the computerized voice of the Pokedex.

Ash was shocked beyond belief, he had possessed this myriad of helpfulness since the start of his journey, and he was only now learning that he had it! He needed to use this to its full advantage, which required trying to actually be smart about his journey from now on. First, he was going to test out the knowledge that Dev could provide for him.

"Uh… what level is my Pikachu…?", Ash experimented.

"The Pikachu owned by Ash Ketchum is approximately level 28", replied the computer.

"Wow, Pikachu, you're pretty powerful, aren't you?", exclaimed the excited boy, and causing the electric mouse to put its head down in bashfulness, "Hmm, what moves does he currently know?", questioned Ash.

"Pikachu currently has the ability to use Growl, Thunder Shock, Tail Whip, Thunder Wave, Quick Attack, Electro Ball, Double Team, and Slam. It might also be noteworthy to know that Pikachu will learn the move Thunderbolt at level 29", supplied Dev.

"WOAH! Pikachu, you know a lot of moves!", said the boy to a now-blushing Pikachu, "Wait a second, I thought Pikachu had already been using Thunderbolt", wondered Ash.

"That is incorrect, the move you know as Thunderbolt has actually been a super powered Thunder Shock", explained Dev.

"Wow… that means that Thunderbolt is going to be even more powerful… and I also thought that Pikachu already knew Thunder! That's going to be such a powerful move!", said an awestruck Ash to a surprised Pikachu. He decided that he would need to check up the info on each of his Pokemon.

"Dev, can you give me some information on each of the Pokemon I have on me right now?", asked Ash.

* * *

><p><strong>Squirtle- level 25 - Tackle, Tail Whip, Bubble, Withdraw, Water Gun, Bite, Rapid Spin, Protect, and Water Pulse.<strong>

**Pidgeotto- level 26 - Tackle, Sand-attack, Gust, Quick Attack, Whirlwind, and Twister.**

**Charmander- level 22 - Scratch, Growl, Ember, Smokescreen, Dragon Rage, and Scary Face.**

**Bulbasaur- level 23- Tackle, Growl, Leech Seed, Vine Whip, Poisonpowder, Sleep Powder, Take Down, Razor Leaf, Sweet Scent.**

* * *

><p>Suffice to say, Ash was quite surprised at the fact that all of his Pokemon had quite the variety of moves. He couldn't believe that he hadn't tried looking up all of the moves that they knew before, because it would have easily helped them win many of their past battles. Though, he couldn't help but wonder about something…<p>

"Hey, wait a second, shouldn't Squirtle, Charmander, and Bulbasaur have evolved by now?", questioned Ash.

"Correct, the only thing stopping these Pokemon from evolving is your lack of acceptance. From the past information I have gathered, they believe that you will be disappointed in them if they evolve, for you are so proud of the fact that they are strong in their pre-evolved forms", explained the machine.

"What! They shouldn't think that!", shouted Ash, while grabbing the three Pokeballs that possessed the said Pokemon.

"Bulba!"

"Char!"

"Squirt!"

The three Pokemon were looking around in curiosity, wondering why their trainer had called upon them when there was obviously no battle to be fought.

"Squirtle, Charmander, Bulbasaur, I have a question for you three", began Ash, "Do you three want to evolve? If you do, you should know that I'll still be proud of you, and you'll just be that much stronger too!", he exclaimed.

The three Pokemon smiled at Ash, before nodding their heads in agreement at his question. The truth is, they had been wanting to evolve for quite a while, but they were too afraid of being left behind, since they had each been abandoned once before. They looked to Ash to see if he would mind if they evolved right away, only to receive a shake of the head in return (along with a small smile from the excited Ash).

The whole process took only a few moments, but when the white light had faded away from the three Pokemon, Ash couldn't help but stare in amazement.

"CHARRR!", growled the dark-red and yellow Charmeleon, now much larger and angled.

"WAR!", huffed the bulky form of Wartortle, now a pastel blue with wing-shaped ornaments on his head.

"IVY!", woofed the forest-green and navy-blue form of Ivysaur, who was also much larger and now had an opened flower on his back.

"Pika!", shouted an excited Pikachu at seeing his friends become much stronger within the space of a few seconds.

"Wow! You guys look so different, and powerful!", an amazed Ash was shouting and leaning over each Pokemon, inspecting their new forms. They seemed to have grown so powerful in such a short amount of time, he was amazed!

One thing was for certain, Ash would be much more serious about training from now on. He wouldn't sit around and wait for Pokemon to come to him, and his Pokemon to raise levels in the small amount of battles that he competed in, he would take an active role in the growth of his Pokemon, like a true trainer.


	2. Chapter Two

**Ash's New Start**

**Chapter Two**

**Announcement: **_I would just like to say that for one, I do not own Pokemon, and for two, I am making it so that in this story, Brock stayed with his siblings at the gym because his father couldn't do it alone, and Misty's bike was repaired by a shop in Viridian, and paid for by Ash, and so she never followed Ash around either. Also, I am not going to limit Kanto to just that region's Pokemon._

* * *

><p>"Try it again! Iron Tail!", commanded Ash to his tuckered out Pikachu.<p>

"PIIIIKA!", shouted the electric mouse as it slammed it's now hardened tail onto the boulder, crushing it to thousands of tiny pieces.

"Great job, Pikachu! That was your best one yet, I think you've finally got it mastered!", the trainer complimented his Pokemon.

"Pi!", agreed the tired mouse, hoping for a long break from the training he had been put through for the day.

"Just think, we never would have even found out you could use moves like this if it wasn't for Dev, isn't that funny?", laughed Ash, who was still on a training high from helping all his Pokemon.

* * *

><p>*FLASHBACK*<p>

_Ash had been thinking for a while now, going over his training plans for his Pokemon, when he thought back to a Pokemon Battle he had watched on TV a couple of years ago. It had been broadcasted from a region called "Hoenn". He pulled Dev out of his pocket to question the computer about it._

"_Hey, Dev, I was just remembering about a match I saw a couple of years ago, and realized that I saw a Pikachu use a move called 'Iron Tail', and I also saw other moves that I have never seen a Pokemon from Kanto use before, why is that?", questioned Ash._

"_The reason those Pokemon knew those moves is simple, they were taught them", explained the computer._

"_But I looked at the moves that Pikachu will eventually learn, and Iron Tail wasn't one of those moves", replied a very confused Ash._

"_The moves you were researching were 'level-up' moves, and those are moves that the Pokemon will learn naturally. 'Iron Tail' is a move that must be taught to a Pokemon through the use of TM's and training.", Dev explained in his monotone voice that Ash was slowly becoming more and more accustomed to._

"_Well… what's a TM, and how can I use one?", questioned Ash._

"_TM's are Technical Machines, which are small blocks that you give to your Pokemon, and they implant the knowledge that is in the block into their database of skills.", the computerized voice replied._

"_How can I get one?", Ash asked the main question that had been on his mind._

"_TM's are often found in Super Stores such as the ones in Celadon City, but they are created by the Professors in each region, who research certain move attributes and try to use those attributes to create new and more powerful moves.", the voice continued on, "TM's are also one of my experimental features, it is possible for me to implant knowledge of a TM into your Pokemon, but it is up to the Pokemon and trainer to practice the move together", explained Dev._

*END FLASHBACK*

* * *

><p>After finding out about this tidbit of information, Ash made sure to use Dev to his fullest, and implanted knowledge of at least one TM into each of his Pokemon.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Ivysaur- Energy Ball and Sludge Bomb<strong>

**Charmeleon- Flamethrower and Shadow Claw**

**Wartortle- Rock Tomb and Ice Beam**

**Pidgeotto- Aerial Ace and Protect**

* * *

><p>Pidgeotto had been especially excited to be introduced to the newly-evolved Pokemon, and was happy for them, and hoped that she soon would evolved to her final form. She had been the first to receive training, for she had been the only one to not be included in on the discoveries so far, and Ash felt bad for leaving her out.<p>

* * *

><p>Ash ended up making sure that each of his Pokemon got some one-on-one training with him, and soon they all mastered their attacks and tomorrow morning they would be heading out to fight Lt. Surge once again, with the hope of finally earning the Thunder Badge. Ash soon headed to bed after finishing up his training with Pikachu. Pikachu still wanted to meet up and talk with the other Pokemon about the day's training though, so he went and collected each of the Pokemon (who had all been sleeping around Ash in the middle of the room they rented at the Pokemon Center).<p>

* * *

><p><strong>*For these conversations, the Pokemon language will automatically be translated into English*<strong>

"So, Ivysaur, how was your training for the day?", questioned Pikachu as the acting leader of the group.

"It was great, I am impressed that Ash has finally decided to step up his training tactics, and take our powers seriously for once", explained Ivysaur with a drawl.

"Is something wrong?", questioned the concerned Pikachu, noticing something was off about the Seed Pokemon.

"Well… Why are you leader? I am the oldest Pokemon on Ash's team, and I am possibly the smartest one, I think I should be the acting leader of our group", reasoned Ivysaur.

"Excuse me? I am the leader because I was Ash's first Pokemon, and from what I can see, I am currently the strongest Pokemon he has", bit out the angry mouse.

"Strength doesn't equal leadership, you also need to be able to help each of the other members on the team", replied the calm Pokemon.

"I'm sorry if you think I don't care about you guys, but I do. I am also sorry if you feel that I am not the Pokemon who would do the best job at being leader, but I am the leader, and that is how it is going to stay, got it?", demanded Pikachu.

"Whatever, you better not slow us down.", glared Ivysaur.

* * *

><p>"Charmelon, how was your day of training, and how are you doing lately?", asked Pikachu to the Flame Pokemon.<p>

"I'm doing quite fine, Pikachu, thank you for asking. I had a very productive day of training, and feel much stronger because of it", replied Charmeleon with a smile.

"What's that smile about?", asked Pikachu inquisitively.

"Well, all I can think about is what I might have done if Ash hadn't given me permission to evolve. I probably would have eventually evolved on my own, because of the forces of nature, and would have resented Ash greatly. Who knows? Maybe I would have tried setting him on fire each time I looked at him!", Charmeleon let out a raucous laughter.

"Yeah… haha", laughed a nervous Pikachu, the Flame Pokemon always did have a bit of an odd sense of humor.

"Either way, I'm glad that I have evolved now, and I hope that I can be a great partner for Ash in the future", smiled Charmeleon again.

"I'm sure that you will become one of Ash's most powerful Pokemon, Charmeleon!", encouraged the mouse.

* * *

><p>"Wartortle… why are you pouting?", Pikachu was having a hard time not laughing his ass of right now, because the image of Wartortle sitting on a rock with his arms crossed and a pout on his face was just too adorable for him not to be amused.<p>

"Well… I don't see why Ash has been training me today", explained Wartortle with a sigh.

"To make you stronger, of course!", exclaimed Pikachu, thinking that the answer was obvious.

"It doesn't matter though! This gym leader uses electric-type Pokemon! Like you! I could never defeat you, I'm too weak against you, I'd be useless against this gym!", yelled the Turtle Pokemon.

"I doubt you would be useless, and you still need to be stronger for the gyms and battles after this one though! Don't be discouraged, just keep training until your strong enough to defeat any type disadvantage and show the world that water Pokemon can withstand anything!", cheered Pikachu to the slowly-recovering Wartortle.

"Yeah! Thanks, Pikachu! You always know what to say to make a Pokemon feel better about himself!", grinned the turtle.

"No problem, Wartortle, this group needs to stick together!", smiled the mouse.

* * *

><p>As Pikachu finished talking to the Pokemon, he decided that it was probably time for him to turn in and go to bed now too, even if he didn't think he'd be able to fall asleep with all of his worrying about the next day. No matter how confident he liked to act in front of the other group members, he had his own doubts on if they would be strong enough to defeat an opponent as strong as Lt. Surge. Not to mention that powerful Raichu of his.<p>

Pikachu didn't like to talk about it, and would never mention it to the other Pokemon on the team, but he was terrified of Raichu. Any Raichu. They were partially the reason why he was so hostile toward humans when Ash had first received him. It began with the first trainer who had tried (and succeeded) in catching him.

The trainer was obviously new to the field of training, and therefore tended to not care as much for the feelings of his Pokemon. Though, if one were to just glance on him, they might consider him an advanced trainer, because all of his Pokemon were evolved. You would then need to look again, because all of his Pokemon were forced to evolve.

He had owned a Nidoking, Nidoqueen, Ninetales, Poliwrath, and a Raichu. You could see that all of these Pokemon were forced to evolve with evolution stones, and that he hadn't actually trained them to be powerful, or asked them if they wanted to evolve. The only reason he decided to catch Pikachu was because he saw how powerful it was in it's pre-evolved form, and wanted to see how much stronger it would become after evolution.

Luckily, Pikachu had an accident when he was a young mouse. He had fallen off from a branch that he was on (getting food), and landed on a hard rock. The rock was small, but sharp enough to become lodged in his leg, yet Pikachu didn't even really notice it until he was cleaning himself later that night. This rock was an Everstone, and with it lodged in Pikachu's leg, he would never be able to evolve. The trainer did not like this idea.

He didn't actually know WHY Pikachu wouldn't evolve, but he was not happy about it. He used his Raichu to beat Pikachu until he could no longer stand, before leaving him in the middle of the road, a cracked Pokeball next to his head. This was the reason Pikachu hadn't trusted a trainer in a long time, and this was the reason why he was fearful of Raichu.

No matter what though, he would fight for Ash, his trainer! Ash was the first Pokemon he found that he could trust in a very long time, and he would do nothing to make Ash disappointed in him, even if that meant facing his fear! After settling on this ideal to himself, Pikachu finally drifted off into the land of dreams.

* * *

><p>Ash awoke the next morning with a yawn and a smile. He looked over and saw that all of his Pokemon were still asleep, so he decided to leave them in the room, and took a walk outside, wondering what could do until the gang woke up and was ready for the battle today. He noticed a field, and a small pond a small ways outside the gate of town, and headed for it, maybe some fresh air would relax him for the match.<p>

Ash sat down in the middle of the field, and reflected over what he had learned in the last couple of days. He discovered that the experimental Pokedex that Professor Oak had given him was a virtual treasure trove of information that he was finally learning to use, and it was going to definitely help him become a Pokemon Master. Then, he had trained each of his Pokemon and taught them some new moves which would definitely help out against any opponent they came across. As Ash thought of the these events, a small head popped up out of the ground.

"Shrew?", a mumbled voice squeaked.

"What? What was that! Who's there? I'm warning you, I have… a hat!", deadpanned Ash. Why did he leave his Pokemon back at the center?

As Ash searched for the source of the noise, he noticed it was coming from a smirking Sandshrew with its head sticking out of a hole.

"Well, hello there! What are you doing?", smiled Ash, while slowly putting his head closer to the cute critter.

"SHREW!", shouted the Mouse Pokemon, before shooting off a fairly powerful Water Gun.

"Hey! Don't hit me with water! Wait… what? Sandshrew can't use water attacks!", shouted Ash in astonishment.

"Apparently, this one is able to. I would suggest for Trainer Ash to not be an idiot and let this Pokemon get away from him", stated Dev from inside Ash's pocket.

"Shut up, Dev! But, you're right!", Ash shouted before running after the tricky Sandshrew.

* * *

><p>Ash arrived back at the Pokemon Center room that he had rented, and noticed that all of his Pokemon were awake and looked ready to go.<p>

"Hey guys! You guys look pretty strong today! I'm surprised you're not all worn out from yesterday's training session!", laughed Ash, while at the same time feeling slightly bad for making them work so hard for his gain.

"Pi!", shouted Pikachu.

"Ivy, Ivysaur, Ivy!", grunted Ivysaur.

"Charrrrrr!", roared Charmeleon.

"War! War! Tortle!", cheered Wartortle.

"Pidgggeeyyy!", preened Pidgeotto.

"Good, I'm glad you guys are all psyched about today's battle! Besides, I think I also have a surprise for you five!", smiled Ash in excitement, before taking a newly-filled Pokeball off from his belt and releasing what was inside.

"Shrew!", huffed the Sandshrew that appeared.

"Everyone, meet Sandshrew!", Ash introduced the Mouse Pokemon to the rest of the group.

"Shrewww!", Sandsrew shouted before shooting another Water Gun at Ash's face, and smacking the button on the Pokeball, thus returning.

"Uh… he's new, but he can use water attacks!", shouted Ash in excitement for his find.

The rest of the group just chuckled nervously at the fact that Ash might be planning to use an untrained Pokemon in the match for today. Ash seemed to understand why they all looked nervous, and attempted to soothe their fears.

"No, guys, I don't plan to use Sandshrew today, he needs much more work before I can trust him to battle in such an important match!", chuckled Ash much to the relief of the other Pokemon.

"So, are you guys ready to head out?", Ash said while opening up the door.

"YES!", all five Pokemon shouted in their language.

"Great! I'm sure we will win this battle today!", Ash cheered, before returning all but one Pokemon, which of course was Pikachu, who hopped on Ash's shoulder and cheered.

"PIKA!"

* * *

><p>"We will win…", Ash whispered while standing outside of Lt. Surge's gym, glaring at the sign that stated what it was.<p>

"Well, well, look who we have here", a familiar voice spoke, and Ash's fire was ignited.


End file.
